• JoR-010: Extra practice on Time, Tense, and Adjectives
    Jan 8 2026

    This is extra practice from the concepts presented in the previous episode. Notice how the conjugation of the adjectives changes with past and non-past tense.

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    16 mins
  • JoR-009: Colors, Clothing, and degree adverbs
    Jan 7 2026

    Episode highlights:

    New vocabulary (21 words):

    • 8 colors: あかい, しろい, くろい, あおい, きいろい, ちゃいろい, みどり, オレンジいろ
    • 9 clothing items: シャツ, コート, セーター, くつ, くつした, ズボン, ジーンズ, ネクタイ, ようふく
    • 4 degree adverbs: とても, すこし, あまり, ぜんぜん

    Key grammar focus: The degree adverb dichotomy — とても/すこし work with positive adjectives while あまり/ぜんぜん require negative forms. This is explicitly taught and practiced extensively.

    Spaced repetition: Wove in weather vocabulary (あたたかい, さむい, あつい), seasons (はる, なつ, ふゆ), and past tense forms (あつかったです, みじかかったです) from S02E03-04. Also recalled かばん and れいぞうこ from S01E04.

    Based On: LingoDeer Level 1 Module 4 Lessons 1 and 2

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    21 mins
  • JoR-008: Weather, Seasons & I-adjective Conjunction
    Jan 6 2026

    Talk about the weather with はれ, くもり, あめ, and ゆき—plus vivid kanji imagery for 雨, 晴, and 曇. Pair each season with its temperature: はる is あたたかい, なつ is あつい, あき is すずしい, ふゆ is さむい. Then unlock the full i-adjective system—present, past, positive, negative—so you can finally say きのうはさむかったです (yesterday was cold) and ことしのふゆはさむくなかったです (this winter wasn't cold).

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    23 mins
  • JoR-007: Family Members & Animals
    Jan 6 2026

    Meet the family—from おとうさん and おかあさん to the humble forms you use for your own relatives like ちち and はは. Then visit the zoo with うま, ぞう, うさぎ, and とら. Along the way, we introduce i-adjectives: おおきい, ちいさい, かわいい, おもい, and かるい. By the end, you'll be describing パンダ as a かわいいどうぶつ with confidence.

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    17 mins
  • JoR-006: Days of the Week
    Jan 6 2026

    Learn all seven days of the week through vivid kanji imagery—from 月 (moon) on Monday to 日 (sun) on Sunday. We'll build mental pictures for each day's element kanji, practice asking and answering "what day is it," and connect the week as a journey through nature. Plus きょう, あした, and あさって for talking about today, tomorrow, and beyond.

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    16 mins
  • JoR-005: Numbers, Counting & Time
    Jan 6 2026

    Master Japanese numbers 1-10,000 with the sound changes that trip up every beginner. Learn to tell time, state your age, and ask prices—all through drilling designed for your commute. We tackle the tricky いっ, ろっ, はっ patterns so they become second nature, plus the three essential questions: なんじですか, なんさいですか, いくらですか.

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    30 mins
  • S01E06: Self-Introductions — はじめまして & よろしくおねがいします
    Dec 30 2025
    S01E06: Self-Introductions — はじめまして & よろしくおねがいします

    Learn to introduce yourself in Japanese! This episode covers the essential phrases and patterns you need for meeting someone new.

    What you'll practice:
    • はじめまして (Nice to meet you - first meeting)
    • よろしくおねがいします (Nice to meet you - closing)
    • The [わたしは] + [noun] + です pattern
    • Nationalities: にほんじん, アメリカじん
    • Occupations: がくせい, せんせい, いしゃ
    • Asking questions with and responding with はい/いいえ
    Episode structure:
    • Vocabulary Pass 1: Listen and recognize (Japanese → English)
    • Vocabulary Pass 2: Retrieval practice (English → Japanese)
    • 12 sentences with spaced repetition
    • Comprehension test
    • Natural dialogue between James and Sakura

    Perfect for early beginners (N5 level). Based on Genki 1, Lesson 1.

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    13 mins
  • Japanese Position Words: On, Under, Inside & More (上・下・中)
    Dec 28 2025

    Learn six essential position words — on (上), under (下), in front of (前), behind (後ろ), inside (中), and beside (隣). Through slow, repeated listening practice, train your ear to catch these small words that often disappear into sentences. We use the familiar います pattern to describe where the cat is, where the dog is, and where the children are. No pressure, just repetition. These words will come back again, and each time they'll sound a little clearer.


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    18 mins